Microsoft Shortlists Ballmer’s Replacement

In August Steve Ballmer announced he would be stepping down as CEO of Microsoft to enjoy retirement, no doubt by sitting atop the huge mountain of cash he has acquired over the past three decades. Ballmer is going to be a tough act to follow5 Funny Videos Starring Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer5 Funny Videos Starring Microsoft CEO Steve BallmerA lot of people really don't like Steve Ballmer. Perhaps because he's Mr. Microsoft, or because he was (for many years) Bill Gates' lickspittle underling. Whatever the reason, he's a figure of fun in a...Read More, but Microsoft has to replace him with someone. According to Reuters, the shortlist of candidates has now been narrowed down to just five people.

Among them are Alan Mulally, President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company, former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, former Skype CEO Tony Bates, and the lesser known Satya Nadella, who is currently the executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. One name not on the shortlist is Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man) who was the clear choice of the MakeUseOf readership.

Rather than put a real child at risk, a Dutch charity used a computer-generated 10-year-old Filipina girl named Sweetie to lure men into revealing their interest in making contact. During a 10-week sting an incredible 20,000 men contacted the virtual bait, with 1,000 offering her money to remove her clothes.

Apple Kills Apple-Tracker.com

Apple products are, despite the expense involved in purchasing them, incredibly popular with consumers, especially in the U.S. This means that stock shortages are rife when a new product first lands on store shelves. A Web developer by the name of Mordy Tikotzky resolved to ease this problem by creating a website tracking stock at Apple Stores in a particular area, but sadly Apple has forced the site to shut by way of a DMCA takedown notice. Most companies would kill for third-party promotion such as this because it would inevitably lead to extra sales, but not Apple, which has always sought to do things in its own peculiar way.

YouTube Comments Get Google+ Integration

The comments section of any website or blog can, at times, spiral into sheer madness, with ignorant idiots using the opportunity to utter things they would never dare say in real-life. But YouTube has always been the worst place on the Internet5 Ways To Improve YouTube Comments5 Ways To Improve YouTube CommentsYouTube's comments section is one of the worst places on the web. On an Internet already full of nonsense no sane, intelligent person would want to spend their time reading, YouTube's comment section stands out....Read More in terms of comments. In September, YouTube announced that a new commenting system based on Google+ would be coming into effect soon, and, according to TechCrunch, the rollout of that system has now begun. While ignorance and nastiness will still rear their ugly heads on occasion, at least now people will be forced to use their real names when exposing themselves as bigoted bullies. Which is a good start.

Facebook Redesigns Like & Share Buttons

Facebook’s Like and Share buttons are absolutely everywhere at this point, including on MakeUseOf. They offer a simple way for someone to register approval for, or pass along, a particular piece of content. And they’re now getting a makeover, with Facebook having announced a new look for both the Like and Share buttons. Most of us won’t even notice the change, but that didn’t stop the redesign process taking a long time and needing the approval of everyone at the company all the way up to Mark Zuckerberg himself.

Doctor Who Could Totally Exist

Doctor Who fans should prepare to rejoice at the news that the TARDIS, the larger-on-the-inside-than-it-looks-on-the-outside police box that Doctor Who travels through time and space in, could actually exist in the real world. This is according to physicists Ben Tippett and David Tsang, who explain in a paper titled ‘Traversable Achronal Retrograde Domains In Spacetime‘ [PDF link] that spacetime theory suggests that such a craft could be possible. In fact, it could already exist somewhere in our universe. Mind. Blown.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is a function hidden in the depths of the settings menu that allows you to change your youtube username back to its original format. The scheme didn't work and now more people hate youtube. And now a message to google: pay your taxes! I said it two years ago and will keep saying it till they comply.

Dave Parrack is a journalist from the UK. Growing up at a time when the internet was blossoming inspired his fascination with technology. With 10 years experience writing online, he's currently the Tech News writer and Entertainment editor at MakeUseOf. You can follow him at About.me.